Lack of young talent in the life sciences industry is worrying!

Mature workers greatly outnumber newer employees in the UK life sciences sector – which could possibly lead to a shortage of essential skills, according to a new survey.

Figures by Cogent Skills from the national Labour Force Survey in the past 12 months show that in life sciences, there are 28% more employees aged 40-64 than 16-40. New or recent school leavers and graduates make up only 5% of the total workforce. More than 80% of companies in the industry have vacancies affected by skills shortages with more than 70% struggling to attract applicants with the skills they need to satisfy “hard to fill” vacancies.

Mark Botting, board member of the Science Industry Partnership, says: “The age gap across the life sciences sector is a clear signal that science sector companies need to have succession planning along with skills and talent development on their agenda now. Skills shortages ultimately affect an organisation’s ability to compete in an increasingly global market.
“The figures we have collated suggest that a greater proportion of people currently working across industrial and life sciences will be leaving the workforce in the next 25 years than those remaining behind. The sector needs to do something now to address the brain drain. 

Cogent Skills, the UK’s strategic body for skills in the science industries, highlights Actavis’ Trailblazer apprenticeships – which are bespoke for the company’s skills requirements – as an example of how this can be addressed. Actavis' Technical Transfer Manager Hilary Jeffrey's said "Though employers may previously have struggled with the concept of employing apprentices rather than graduates, they are now understanding the opportunity apprenticeships offer to individuals and the company, 

Hilary continued “The qualifications combined with the experience apprentices gain are very relevant to employers. With bespoke apprenticeships such as the Trailblazer we will develop people with the right skills because we’ve been directly involved in defining and shaping what is required to enable the employee to do the role by the end of the course.”

This all seems a bit worrying for the future of the life sciences industry and shows just how important new talent really is. Maybe we need to be going right back to the start of the process and telling children about the life sciences sector and what is involved, when they are thinking about their career options at school? I remember talking to my teenage brother about the industry when i first started at Kubo and he had no idea about how much went into the prescriptions and healthcare he takes for granted everyday. Maybe its a lack of knowledge in the industry rather than a lack of interest? 

Lack of engagement from employees is having a major affect on businesses!

Research conducted by gallup.com showed that 15% of workers in Germany are disengaged in their jobs. A more worrying report by Gallup reported only 13% of employees are actively engaged in the US. Disengagement is not as simple as saying someone is unhappy at work, disengaged employees take less pride in their work, have less loyalty to their company and take more time off, thus costing businesses billions every year! 

Disengaged workers costs the German economy 73 billion to 95 billion euros annually in lost productivity. Each day when someone is away from work in Germany it costs a business 252 Euros! Disengagement costs the US $2,246 per disengaged employee per year!

Seeing those figures should surely make any company sit up and be more aware of their employees. So why are people feeling disengaged? 

Employee disengagement is primarily driven by how supervisors - from team leaders to line managers - manage people. Given the state of employee engagement in Germany today, it's evident that most managers aren't creating environments in which employees feel motivated. 

The main reasons for disengagement as reported by staff were; 

• Stress and isolation, 
• Lack of training,
• Skills and accomplishments going unrewarded. 
• No raise or financial incentives,
• Lack of respect,
• Lack of communication within the company.
• Too many restrictions and rules. 

You might think staff leaving and moving on might be a good thing if they are disengaged. However, the cost of staff training and the fact that employees have desirable skills and knowledge, is enough reason to keep staff within your company.  If you don't take full advantage of your employees another company or competitor will! 

Word of mouth and social media all play a part on how staff express their disengagement with a company. If customers are considering a service or product, they will take recommendations from their friends, family, media and digital technology. If they are seeing negative feedback about a company that will affect their decision. 

So can companies really afford not to take employee disengagement seriously?

Best, Worst and most Stressful jobs in the UK?

A study conducted by search engine Adzuna.co.uk in September 2013, analysed over 2,000 job titles to highlight the best, worst, most stressful
in the UK. Each job title was scored based on 25 different criteria including earning potential, working conditions, competitiveness, unemployment rates and job security. These scores were then combined to produce an overall list of the top 10 best and worst jobs in the UK.

So what were the results? 


The Worst Jobs of 2013 – Miners and Couriers have the worst jobs in the UK the study has shown. High-pressure deadlines, the lowest income growth potential in the survey and long hours pushed these roles to the top the of  the“worst” list.  Sous chefs, Electricians and HGV Drivers round out the rest of the worst jobs.

The Best Jobs of 2013 – On a positive note the best jobs on the market are Translators, Web Developers and Surgeons. These roles boasted the highest levels of job security in the study, some of the highest average salaries (exceeding £85,000 p.a.) and excellent income growth potential of up to 8 times starting salary. Lack of competition, employer demand, rising wages and excellent working environments also resulted in Web Developers being voted one of the most stress free jobs in the UK today.

The Most Stressful Jobs – And finally the most stressful jobs have been revealed unsurprisingly to be Pilots & Oil Riggers, with doctors and fireman making an appearance on the list, scoring top for emotional and physical stress. Journalists rank as the 4th most stressful career choice, primarily due to highest pressure working environments and a deadline driven culture. Low levels of competition, few deadlines and little physical work have resulted in Librarians and Translators being named the least stressful jobs on the market.

Which list would you put your job in? 

References- Adzuna.co.uk

Great to see you all at PSI last week!

Last week Kubo exhibited at the annual PSI conference at the Millennium Gloucester hotel in London. With over 280 delegates, 20 exhibitors and 62 speakers it was a busy and packed few days!

Kubo spoke to professionals across the 3 days, some looking to progress their career, some looking to fill new roles or some that just wanted to chat about the industry.

Rachel Keay and Andi Brown from Kubo attended the quiz night and barn dance Gala dinner and no, thankfully, there are no pictures we will be sharing of the event!

Before PSI 2015 Kubo said we would be donating to World Cancer Research Fund, our 2015 sponsored charity. For every business card we received at this event we would donate to the charity. We are please to announce that on Monday we made a donation on behalf of everyone that took the time to stop by our stand and drop in their business cards. Kubo would like to extend our thanks to those that helped us support World Cancer Research Fund and as a result, support the work that this amazing charity does to research and prevent cancer.

How will the UK General Election effect your pocket?

The UK Election has kicked off and the parties have released their 2015 Manifestos. How will what their proposing effect wages and jobs?

All parties have said that they want to help people see more of their money. How do they plan to do this? The Conservatives have said that they will raise the minimum wage tax threshold to £12,500 and 40% tax on £50,000 plus. The labour party have said they will raise minimum wage to £8 by 2019 and re-introduce a 10% starting tax and 50% on earnings over £150000. The Liberal Democrats have also said that they would raise the income tax threshold to £12,500 while UKIP would raise it to £13,500 and introduce a 35% tax on earnings between £42,000 and £55,000.

Therefore what about Jobs and young people starting out in the job market?
Labour have said that they want to offer apprenticeships for every school leaver who gets the grades. The Conservatives have said that they want to aim for full employment where "anyone who wants a job is able to get a job". They also want to further fund their apprenticeship schemes and offer 3 million more places. The Green party want to create 1 million public sector jobs and introduce a maximum 35 hour working week.

It seems that all the parties are offering a lot of promise within the job market and all want to boost our economy. This would be great for everyone if we could see the unemployment figures drop even further and see more money in our pockets.

For the 2nd year running Kubo will be at the PSI Annual Conference next month!

Kubo are proud for the 2nd year running will be exhibiting at the 2015 PSI conference between the 10th and 13th of May at The Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London. 

This year the PSI Annual conference theme will be "Relevant Applications in a Changing Environment", with a focus on case studies and collaboration.  This will the 38th consecutive annual event which is regarded as the principal annual event for statisticians in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in Europe. 

The conference is held over a 3 day period and made up of plenary sessions, parallel sessions (including breakout sessions and sessions for career young statisticians), poster sessions and the annual general meeting. Sessions include data transparency, meta-analysis, estimands, risk-based monitoring, data visualization and many more with speakers from industry, academia and regulatory agencies.

There will 60 speakers over the 3 days a pub quiz and a barn dance! I'm not sure if Kubo will be donning our cowboy boots just yet, but im sure that the event will have a lot to offer and will be a great success!

If you will be attending the event next month make sure you stop by our stand and say hello!

Is it time spent with family or time spent away from work you are looking forward to most this Easter break?

Summer is upon us, the days are finally longer and the Easter break is very nearly here. Is it the time spent with your family and friends you are looking forward to most or just the time spent away from work! If it's the latter then maybe its time to start looking for something different?

Kubo have been overwhelmed with the number of new job roles that have arisen over the last few months from companies looking to expand. It seems business is good and companies are looking to fill those much needed positions. 

Take a look at some of the new opportunities that Kubo currently have!

Team Leader, Data Management- UK
An exciting opportunity has arisen within one of the largest functional biometrics suppliers in Europe providing global pharma, biotech and medical device partners with innovative, cost effective development services. Our client is currently looking for a Team Leader responsible for the Provision of line management services to the Data Management function. The successful candidate will provide line management to their assigned Data Management team including the provision of performance and development planning and management, training, mentoring and coaching. 

Statistical Programmer II- US
Our client a global CRO that provides high quality global clinical research support and strategic development services to pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies is currently looking for a qualified statistical programmer II for their office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing company which offers real career potential, as well as a dedicated team environment and competitive compensation. 

Proposals Manager- Anywhere in Europe
Do you want to work for a global top 10 CRO? Our client is a full-service clinical research organization, providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services for the world’s pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries across six continents. Our client is currently recruiting for a Proposal Manager who will cooperate with internal and external stakeholders to create proposals in order to win new and repeat business. The Proposal Manager functions as proposal lead in support of business development for assigned projects and also participates in internal proposals meetings and meetings with customers. Previous experience in proposal preparation in the CRO/pharmaceutical industry essential.

Senior Biostatistician- Italy- Home based working negotiable
Our client a global CRO is looking for a senior‐level professional with at least 3 years experience and able to work independently on requested activities. The person we are looking for will work autonomously in preparing Statistical Analysis Plans and writing statistical methodology and results sections of reports. The successful candidate will provide statistical input to the study design and write and review the stat section of Protocols and review Case Report Forms. He/she will also prepare and deliver training to staff and/or clients on statistical methodology and statistical principles and produce and validate statistical analysis using SAS.

To see all our latest job opportunites or to apply for a role please visit www.kuborecruitment.com or email info@kuborecruitment.com.